Best cartoon show openings ever? [Archive]

Matthew Hunter

03-29-2009, 10:45 PM

Since we already have a thread going about the worst cartoon show openings ever, I figured I should balance it out.

Personally, my favorite classic cartoon opening has to be the ORIGINAL "Looney Tunes on Nickelodeon", and also, well, every version of "This is It".

But what about shows that may not have been anything to write home about, but had great openings? I have to give mention to the early 90's Woody Woodpecker opening:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5zwBBFJ63c

It made me WANT to enjoy the show, but since nearly all the cartoons were later, terrible Lantz efforts, it was usually the best part of the show!

Then there's "Beetlejuice", which tried to adapt Tim Burton's great movie into a really bland cartoon series (Not sure why they thought a French skeleton and a furry, redneck version of Chuck Jones' "Gossamer" were deemed worthy to be Beetlejuice's friends). Still, the opening title was wonderful!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PimZ66nqzI&feature=related

cbrubaker

03-29-2009, 10:57 PM

I remember that Woody Woodpecker intro. I saw it on Cartoon Network (yes, they actually aired Lantz cartunes, although the only ones I remember are "I'm Cold" and "Shh-h-h-h")

I guess I'll mention the openings to the early Hanna-Barbera shows, such as "Huckleberry Hound", "Yogi Bear", and "Quick Draw McGraw". I LOVE the theme songs but the actual cartoons...not so much. Sorry, but I'm not a big Hanna-Barbera fan.

And I don't know if this counts, but I'll also give a mention to the theme song for DePatie-Freleng's "Dogfather", which is probably the last ever series made for theatrical release (1974-76).

I thought the song was catchy, and the credits designed by Art Leonardi were beautiful, IMO. But boy did the cartoons stunk.

dendawg

03-29-2009, 10:58 PM

These three Tom and Jerry openings define best show openings ever, IMHO.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmWiflT0pvc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9haRrw35gI0

http://tomandjerryonline.com/Videos/Old_Tom_and_Jerry_Open.mpg

Jon Cooke

03-29-2009, 11:00 PM

The Bugs Bunny Show - There is just something about hearing "This is It" and seeing the LT stars march across the stage that gets me in the mood to watch cartoons.

The Hanna-Barbera shows of the 1960s had very memorable openings, such as Hucklebery Hound, The Flintstones, and Yogi Bear.

Jay Ward's George of the Jungle is also another opening so memorable that I bet more people remember the theme song than the actual show. Speaking of Ward, I have also always liked The Bullwinkle Show opening, with Bullwinkle dancing on-stage and ending with all the stage lightbulbs exploding. Shame it isn't on the DVDs.

larriva9/11

03-29-2009, 11:11 PM

Personally, my favorite classic cartoon opening has to be the ORIGINAL "Looney Tunes on Nickelodeon", and also, well, every version of "This is It".

I'm a little circumspect about any "This Is It" iteration after 1980--basically, stick to the original Bugs Bunny Show, even with its (IMO unfortunate in retrospect, yet forgivable nonetheless) Road Runner augmentation).

But, as I just posted in the "worst" thread, here's my nominee for "most orgasmic opening"...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dHhItVDvzk

Geezil

03-29-2009, 11:19 PM

Farmer Alfalfa and His Terrytoons Pals

Mighty Mouse Playhouse

The Heckle and Jeckle Cartoon Show

(Riddle of the hour: Are any of these online in their uncut form?)

...and, oh, yeah, that show with the Oscar-winning rabbit, whatever his name is.

nickramer

03-29-2009, 11:27 PM

The 1967 Gumby intro comes to mine. Very 1960-ish! And I might be one of the few that happen to like shorts that came out there even if the title character rarely morphed. ("Can you say bone?" "NO!" "Tree? Shadow?"... VROOM!... "...Car?!").

Jon Cooke

03-29-2009, 11:36 PM

Mr. Semaj

03-29-2009, 11:40 PM

Matthew Hunter

03-29-2009, 11:46 PM

Glowworm

03-29-2009, 11:52 PM

Garfield and Friends actually had 3 different intros-the second one was classic. It just made you want to get up and dance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNmnfBumkLc

Glowworm

03-29-2009, 11:59 PM

I absolutely hated Catdog(I thought it was gross as a kid) however there was one good thing about it-the themesong was unbelievably catchy with an actually pretty nice opening sequence.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIBELrVf15A

Matthew Hunter

03-30-2009, 12:04 AM

Garfield and Friends actually had 3 different intros-the second one was classic. It just made you want to get up and dance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNmnfBumkLc

That was the only one I saw until I caught a really lousy version when they ran Garfield briefly on Boomerang. I believe it was called "Friends are There", and it was so slow and boring, I would bet it make kids on Saturday morning want to go back to bed!

Glowworm

03-30-2009, 12:16 AM

That was the only one I saw until I caught a really lousy version when they ran Garfield briefly on Boomerang. I believe it was called "Friends are There", and it was so slow and boring, I would bet it make kids on Saturday morning want to go back to bed!

Actually-believe it or not-it was the third one that was the worst-and that one is really rare-I'll share it on the other thread...

LooneyFan

03-30-2009, 12:22 AM

Another one that makes a (really) bad show look good is "Scooby and Scrappy Doo". I wonder who animated it...it's more fluid than any piece of animation H-B did in that era, and the expressions of the characters and staging of it are really well done. Sadly, it wasn't the storm, the spooky house, the mummy or the scarecrow the 2 dogs should've been scared of...it was the show that followed!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LV6a4aBtcVg

It really is a great opening. I really sometimes just watched that show only for it's intro. I especially enjoyed the instrumental part of it. Couldn't stand "Scrappy Dappy Dooooo!!!!" 10xs.

Here's a better Scooby Doo intro.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqPjxiAp_bA

larriva9/11

03-30-2009, 12:26 AM

The 1967 Gumby intro comes to mine. Very 1960-ish!

Courtesy of Sneaky Pete Kleinow of the Flying Burrito Brothers--a claymation master exercising his early musical chops...

cbrubaker

03-30-2009, 12:26 AM

If we're going modern, I like the "Rocko's Modern Life" theme song. It manages to show Rocko's entire life in just few seconds, and the song (the ones used from season 2 onwards) is pretty catchy, too.

I actually like the first "Garfield and Friends" theme. Better than the "Party" song used in syndication. I've often wished that the original was being used instead of the 2nd one. I agree, though, that the third one REALLY stunk. Good thing it wasn't used in the DVDs.

"Duckman" had a neat theme (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9BZzTEffiA&feature=related). There's barely any animation in it (mostly flying graphics) but it was still pretty cool. The music's catchy, too.

As for today's cartoons, I love the theme song (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXKPrFVLQiU) for Cartoon Network's "Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack". The show is primarily 2D hand-drawn (see, not everything's done in Flash), but the opening is in stop motion. It's also pretty much the opposite of what happens in the show, since K'Nuckles is shown as an adventurous captain, even though in the actual show he's a lazy, drunk hobo who tries to avoid actual adventures as much as he can, only going into one due to Flapjack dragging him around.

Studio Toledo

03-30-2009, 12:43 AM

If we're going modern, I like the "Rocko's Modern Life" theme song. It manages to show Rocko's entire life in just few seconds, and the song (the ones used from season 2 onwards) is pretty catchy, too.

I actually like the first "Garfield and Friends" theme. Better than the "Party" song used in syndication. I've often wished that the original was being used instead of the 2nd one.
Me too. For a while, it became more like the way the first Flintstones theme ("Rise & Shine") became very obscure thanks to "Meet the Flintstones" usage in syndication for years. With G&F, you still heard a tad of "Friends Are There" if only as a background instrumental in those first couple seasons, but I liked that it was it's own original piece rather than a clip montage the second opening was (and the third for that matter).

I agree, though, that the third one REALLY stunk. Good thing it wasn't used in the DVDs.
You wonder how much did they pay the guy to come up with that?

Brandon Panther

03-30-2009, 01:37 AM

The opening sequences for Inspector Gadget and Heathcliff & the Catillac Cats I love.

Also love the intro for the Angry Beavers, so wacky and lively, and momentarily violent.

The intro to Ren & Stimpy was good too, since it consisted of clips from the pilot episode, the BEST R&S episode IMO.

dandu

03-30-2009, 01:55 AM

I don't know why, but I love the theme music to Noah and Nelly from 1974, it is pure 1970s synthy discoey sound!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IfWtOJOD_U

The colors are a bit far out too mannnn :p

I also like Roobarb's intro from the same studio.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kw4wnys1IMk
Chorleton and the Wheelies also have a psychedelic sounding theme,
almost like The Move (one of my favorite bands)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_isj1c3mag
I also love the DANGER MOUSE opening, it rocks! As well as I often sing along to the Pinky and the Brain, I love everything about the Pinky and the Brain intro from the song to the graphics that go really well with it....

Douglas E.

03-30-2009, 08:49 AM

As for today's cartoons, I love the theme song (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXKPrFVLQiU) for Cartoon Network's "Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack". The show is primarily 2D hand-drawn (see, not everything's done in Flash), but the opening is in stop motion. It's also pretty much the opposite of what happens in the show, since K'Nuckles is shown as an adventurous captain, even though in the actual show he's a lazy, drunk hobo who tries to avoid actual adventures as much as he can, only going into one due to Flapjack dragging him around.
Shoot! You beat me to the punch! Yeah, but I really like the stop motion in the opening! I'll post some other favorites later.

-Doug

J. B. Warner

03-30-2009, 10:12 AM

I must give a shoutout to the opening for "Futurama", a 15-second extravaganza of CGI animation that completely immerses you in the show's world right from the get-go. And as a GACer, I can't snub a sequence that features a clip from a different Golden Age cartoon every week.

Also in the same vein is the opening sequence to the "Dilbert" animated series, a long CGI pan around the office with a mix of hand-drawn action and loads of split-second in-jokes. I still prefer the comic strip, but the opening was easily my favorite part of the show.

Marty26

03-30-2009, 10:20 AM

A few I always liked,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIOFX3r82nM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tAoHHaFZio

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfnV_PQ9k8M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VE6ltfaWGJg

Also, not necessarily cartoon openings,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6h3ckcLl_4o

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHYEBH5XGLE

Regarding that Disney promo, what's with the early-80's and neon wireframe artwork? I also find it interesting that it showed a wireframe image of the Epcot Center. The Epcot Center opened in 1982. That promo's from 1981.

Bugsy-Kun

03-30-2009, 12:46 PM

The Filmation's Lone Ranger Intro thrilled and shined me when i was a kid especially for the William Tell's Overture arrangement.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XAGtP1r5tU&feature=related

I go with Mr. Semaj's says about Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat who shined the last years of saturday morning cartoons on CBS before they pulled off of the schedule. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VE6ltfaWGJg

Don't forget the original theme of Bugs 'n' Daffy from Cartoon Network. too bad we don't CN in Canada but i still love it! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NiVUvZEvkc

I don't know why but i'm perplexed about the Garfield openings themes. The Party theme is repetitious, the Rap style is lavish so i prefer the original theme from the early seasons.

cpdavison

03-30-2009, 12:47 PM

I liked the original opening for ALVIN & THE CHIPMUNKS (Format Films era). No YouTube link, though...

Craig D.

StillHowardFein

03-30-2009, 12:52 PM

Another one that makes a (really) bad show look good is "Scooby and Scrappy Doo". I wonder who animated it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LV6a4aBtcVg

That's H-B vet Ed Love who animated the 1979 SCOOBY & SCRAPPY intro. He animated the opening title sequences for numerous H-B series in the seventies and eighties.

BUTCH CASSIDY (1973) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRPRWbdEMWM

YOGI'S GANG (1973) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGjIdTI8O-g

MORK & MINDY/LAVERNE & SHIRLEY HOUR WITH THE FONZ (1982) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiKN6uRsTM0

POPEYE & SON (1987) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7V9AFAJoYnU

And, in what what must have been one of Love's last works, DIC's syndicated version of SONIC THE HEDGEHOG (1993)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCcYBQ_f90Q&feature=PlayList&p=A7B9D9ECA19507E3&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=33

AFAIK, the only series of the above that Love actually did any episode animation was CASSIDY. His distinctive, fluid character animation does raise hopes that a series that uses it in its opening title will be similarly well-animated. But as it turns out, the Paramount sitcom adaptations were animated overseas and by Ruby-Spears. POPEYE & SON and SONIC were, of course, animated overseas to predictably stitled effect.

Mr. Semaj

03-30-2009, 12:57 PM

Regarding that Disney promo, what's with the early-80's and neon wireframe artwork? I also find it interesting that it showed a wireframe image of the Epcot Center. The Epcot Center opened in 1982. That promo's from 1981.

I think that was a more aggressive attempt to give The Wonderful World of Disney an up-to-date makeover, having moved to CBS after just avoiding cancellation on NBC. Too bad the change only lasted for two years before they were cancelled anyway.

StillHowardFein

03-30-2009, 01:33 PM

I always thought the Disney TV shows of the eighties and nineties had great intros, even though much of the footage was from existing episodes rather than 'original'. This footage was edited tightly enough to convey the comedy and/or adventure in a way to make one really want to watch the shows. The themes to DUCKTALES, NEW ADVENTURES OF POOH and DARKWING DUCK are acknowledged classics. ALADDIN and TALE SPIN have themes that aptly convey the ambience of their settings. The WUZZLES theme has always been a personal favorite.

The four NBC :thinkpink compilations all had nice jazzy themes sung by DFE mainstay Doug Goodwin. Art Leonardi's pioneering 'cutout' credits were a visual delight as well. The long-forgotten live-action 1969 intro made a welcome reapparance on Youtube, as did the 1971 intro ("And the Aarvark, too."). The equally delightful 1975 "Think Pink" and 1976 "Laugh and a Half Hour and a Half Show" intros are long MIA. When the franchise went to ABC in 1978, a rather lackluster (other than a nice 'disco-ization' of the Mancini theme) intro that reflected the cartoons themselves was used.

All of the comedic DFE TV cartoons had great themes, especially THE SUPER SIX and THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF DOCTOR DOLITTLE, a nice embellishment of the Oscar-winning "Talk To The Animals" theme.

jonmayo15

03-30-2009, 04:10 PM

The New Adventures of Winnie The Pooh
Rocko's Modern Life
The Simpsons Non-HD intro
King Kong (Ten times as big as a man!)

WoodpeckerWoody

03-30-2009, 04:55 PM

Count Duckula
DuckTales

Marty26

03-30-2009, 06:27 PM

I think that was a more aggressive attempt to give The Wonderful World of Disney an up-to-date makeover, having moved to CBS after just avoiding cancellation on NBC. Too bad the change only lasted for two years before they were cancelled anyway.

Didn't it later return to ABC?

The "Chase"

03-30-2009, 06:28 PM

Then there's "Beetlejuice", which tried to adapt Tim Burton's great movie into a really bland cartoon series (Not sure why they thought a French skeleton and a furry, redneck version of Chuck Jones' "Gossamer" were deemed worthy to be Beetlejuice's friends). Still, the opening title was wonderful!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PimZ66nqzI&feature=related

Nonono Matthew, you got it all wrong...

The second opening is WAYYYY better than that opening. See for yourself.. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcKR62nU_g4&feature=related).

Stanislav

03-30-2009, 06:55 PM

I liked the original opening for ALVIN & THE CHIPMUNKS (Format Films era). No YouTube link, though...

Now I've got that theme song anchored in my brain, thanks. :D I did like that opening, especially the running gag where everything (music,choreography) comes to a halt every time Clyde Crashcup and Leonardo walk through the scene (and Alvin glares at them).

Matthew Hunter

03-30-2009, 07:02 PM

Nonono Matthew, you got it all wrong...

The second opening is WAYYYY better than that opening. See for yourself.. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcKR62nU_g4&feature=related).

whoa...I didn't remember another version. That one's pretty good too!

Matthew Hunter

03-30-2009, 07:15 PM

That's H-B vet Ed Love who animated the 1979 SCOOBY & SCRAPPY intro. He animated the opening title sequences for numerous H-B series in the seventies and eighties.

BUTCH CASSIDY (1973) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRPRWbdEMWM

YOGI'S GANG (1973) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGjIdTI8O-g

MORK & MINDY/LAVERNE & SHIRLEY HOUR WITH THE FONZ (1982) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiKN6uRsTM0

POPEYE & SON (1987) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7V9AFAJoYnU

And, in what what must have been one of Love's last works, DIC's syndicated version of SONIC THE HEDGEHOG (1993)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCcYBQ_f90Q&feature=PlayList&p=A7B9D9ECA19507E3&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=33

AFAIK, the only series of the above that Love actually did any episode animation was CASSIDY. His distinctive, fluid character animation does raise hopes that a series that uses it in its opening title will be similarly well-animated. But as it turns out, the Paramount sitcom adaptations were animated overseas and by Ruby-Spears. POPEYE & SON and SONIC were, of course, animated overseas to predictably stitled effect.

I feel very sorry for kids who actually had to watch crap like that. Scooby ripoffs, Yogi turned preachy treehugger, and cartoons based on live-action shows, just for the novelty of it. What was Hanna-Barbera thinking? :shame:

nickramer

03-30-2009, 07:40 PM

I feel very sorry for kids who actually had to watch crap like that. Scooby ripoffs, Yogi turned preachy treehugger, and cartoons based on live-action shows, just for the novelty of it. What was Hanna-Barbera thinking? :shame:
Well, when you have a big strict parent group breathing down your neck and some people who are not really made to be executive producers(Directors and designers?, Yes. Executive producers, No.), you don't really have that many choices, unfortuantly.

Glowworm

03-30-2009, 09:31 PM

I remember that Cartoon Network use to do this awesome rock rendition of the Roger Ramjet theme song(instead of the version with the little kids singing it to Yankee Doodle) Unfortunately I can't locate it online.

I totally agree about the Danger Mouse themesong though-I saw the show as a five year old, and haven't seen it since but still clearly remember the "Danger mouse,Danger mouse" parts.

larriva9/11

03-30-2009, 10:03 PM

Marty26

03-30-2009, 10:48 PM

On the topic of Disney, I remember in the mid/late-80's on the Disney Channel, there would be this montage they'd sometimes play between shows (Disney didn't air commercials yet), showing various photos of kids with their pets (with an annoying and repetitive rendition of the Disney Channel Theme Song playing in conjunction with the different photos). What was that called?

CueBallCat79

03-30-2009, 10:52 PM

Nonono Matthew, you got it all wrong...

The second opening is WAYYYY better than that opening. See for yourself.. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcKR62nU_g4&feature=related).

I really, really wish the show had been animated that well.

Der Captain

03-31-2009, 10:04 PM

dendawg

03-31-2009, 10:17 PM

I'm still wondering how that character went to the bathroom.

The same way an anthropomorphic sea sponge can gain sentience and befriend an idiotic, anthropomorphic starfish, while working at an undersea burger joint that has a crab for a boss and a morose squid for a neighbor/coworker. :p

Glowworm

03-31-2009, 11:23 PM

I'm still wondering how that character went to the bathroom.

There actually was an episode where a documentary bird by the name of Lola(the only character I LIKED in that show) kept bothering Catdog's privacy-not unlike the paparazzi. At one point we see a comode-half of it is a fire hydrant, the other half is a litterbox. Lola announces that she now knows how Catdog goes to the bathroom.

How they actually use it is a mystery...

TServo2049

04-02-2009, 06:01 PM

Opening sequences are (or at least were, in the 80s and the early 90s) made on a much higher budget than the episodes themselves, and are sometimes even done domestically, or at least by the best overseas subcontractor.

For example, I remember the Marvel/Sunbow stuff always having openings that looked better even than the actual episodes done by Toei (and certainly better than the ones done at Akom). The original TMNT intro, which was also animated by Toei, similarly looked better than any episodes, with only the original 5-part pilot (also done by Toei) coming close.

DIC was the absolute worst; often (especially as they started producing more shows on lower budgets, beginning in the late 80s) their opening sequences would be done at a Japanese studio that didn't even work on any actual episodes, which would be done at a second-rate Korean or other mainland studio like Sei Young or Pacific Rim. (On Super Mario World and Stunt Dawgs, they even explicitly credited the animation studio who did the opening as different from the one that did the animation for the actual show.)

The one producer whose episodes actually looked as good as the opening sequence was Warner Bros.; TMS did the openings for Tiny Toons and Animaniacs, and the shows done at TMS actually looked just about as good as the title sequences. (I think TMS' 80s U.S. productions/co-productions, like Galaxy High and Bionic Six, looked almost on par with the intros as well.)

Nowadays, the openings usually look about the same as the episodes themselves - this isn't hard with the flat 2-D look of a lot of cartoons these days.

The Silver Fox

04-03-2009, 08:45 AM

my list

Tale Spin
Shirt Tails
Speed buggy (catchy theme)
Gummi Bears (85-88) ( 89 was reused 88 opening and 90 on till the
end was time compressed)
Chip Dales RR
Schooby doo 1970 opening
(local)
XETV Bugs Bunny show, well done
showing letterbox verison of Bugs playing the Piano in
Carnige hall ( can't remember name of cartoon), but first time
thiswas used on a local station, and was used from 76 ( when they
left Network ) till 86.

Flinstones Comedy Hour (with the bedrock rockers)
Jackson 5

Studio Toledo

04-03-2009, 06:39 PM

Opening sequences are (or at least were, in the 80s and the early 90s) made on a much higher budget than the episodes themselves, and are sometimes even done domestically, or at least by the best overseas subcontractor.
That's something we've all witnessed time and time again, where the opening sequence looks FAR better than what comes up a minute later. The only other way we could get that quality again is if they tried to do a movie or something that would obviously bring in the buckage for it (or else they'll just squander it). I guess South Park is probably one example of a show that doesn't tease you from the get-go with it's visual aesthetic.

For example, I remember the Marvel/Sunbow stuff always having openings that looked better even than the actual episodes done by Toei (and certainly better than the ones done at Akom). The original TMNT intro, which was also animated by Toei, similarly looked better than any episodes, with only the original 5-part pilot (also done by Toei) coming close.
Have to see those episodes again to appreciate their usage of Toei's talents.

DIC was the absolute worst; often (especially as they started producing more shows on lower budgets, beginning in the late 80s) their opening sequences would be done at a Japanese studio that didn't even work on any actual episodes, which would be done at a second-rate Korean or other mainland studio like Sei Young or Pacific Rim. (On Super Mario World and Stunt Dawgs, they even explicitly credited the animation studio who did the opening as different from the one that did the animation for the actual show.)
I remember feeling teased and disappointed at those shows due to DIC's need to higher a good studio for the opening alone. You'd only wish a whole episode could've been done that way, even if it was just the pilot.

The one producer whose episodes actually looked as good as the opening sequence was Warner Bros.; TMS did the openings for Tiny Toons and Animaniacs, and the shows done at TMS actually looked just about as good as the title sequences. (I think TMS' 80s U.S. productions/co-productions, like Galaxy High and Bionic Six, looked almost on par with the intros as well.)
If anything, TMS gave you 'bells & whistles' other others just did it anyway. TMS episodes also had distinctive crosswipe patterns you couldn't see elsewhere, so you would've knew off-the-bat who did what on those episodes before you saw the end credits.

Nowadays, the openings usually look about the same as the episodes themselves - this isn't hard with the flat 2-D look of a lot of cartoons these days.
Sad really, nobody wants to be daring or a little ambitious with their openings like yesteryear.

Vdubdavid

04-04-2009, 10:10 AM

I totally agree about the Danger Mouse themesong though-I saw the show as a five year old, and haven't seen it since but still clearly remember the "Danger mouse,Danger mouse" parts.

Hey, so did I! I nearly drove my mother crazy because I was always singing it in the car.

Has anyone found the opening to the WB's Bugs N' Daffy Show from the mid-late 90s? That one had a pretty good song ("My name is Daffy Duck, and boy are you in luck, 'cause I'm the greatest, I'm the best, you can't help but be impressed!")

cbrubaker

04-05-2009, 03:50 PM

larriva9/11

04-05-2009, 08:26 PM

Even in the 60s, the opening could be superior to the series (Abbott & Costello, for one)

Studio Toledo

04-05-2009, 10:56 PM

The talk about the opening having better animation than the actual episodes, I'm reminded of the opening for the short-lived UPN "Dilbert" series.

The opening had a pretty cool CGI/2D animation going on. It was pretty intense, really.

What's interesting is that the opening was made with digital ink and paint. The actual episodes, however, were painted on cels. You can easily find original "Dilbert" cels in internet stores that sells animation art.
I remember noticing that and wondered why didn't they just do the same thing for the rest of the show? Was there an obligation to film it traditionally or was it something else? The show also had terrible DVNR I can recall.

Speaking of Dilbert cels, I had to get one as a freebie from one eBayer for something else I bought. It's not a biggie or anything, it's half of a person's body as he seems to have fallen over or something. Typical of TV animation and all, but I thought about ruining the cel by adding more detail to it, and have it look like the guy was getting sexually assaulted by some demon, but I didn't get around to doing that yet! :p

"Dilbert", I believe, was one of the last cartoons to be painted on cels. That or "Mission Hill", which also had its opening done digitally while the actual episodes were on cels.
Mission Hill also used cels too I think. And this was right when the traditional age had just ended by the year 2000.

Studio Toledo

04-05-2009, 10:58 PM

Even in the 60s, the opening could be superior to the series (Abbott & Costello, for one)
Many H-B shows in the 60's did that I noticed. Of course not all had (Roger Ramjet brings that to mind), but it was always interested when shows would do that to catch your attention.

Glowworm

04-05-2009, 11:04 PM

Hey, so did I! I nearly drove my mother crazy because I was always singing it in the car.

Has anyone found the opening to the WB's Bugs N' Daffy Show from the mid-late 90s? That one had a pretty good song ("My name is Daffy Duck, and boy are you in luck, 'cause I'm the greatest, I'm the best, you can't help but be impressed!")

Oh wow,I remember that opening-very catchy indeed.

Marty26

04-06-2009, 10:17 AM

Jon Cooke

04-06-2009, 12:13 PM

Honestly, my favorite Looney Tunes opening was probably the second opening for Bugs & Daffy on Cartoon Network from 1997 until probably the end of the series. It showed Bugs getting tons of applause from an unseen audience (which is later revealed to be a recording), while Daffy, despite his constant attempts at wowing them, gets nothing. The commercial bumpers were also really funny. They'd typically show Daffy trying to dispatch Bugs through things like a falling piano. Getting the worst of it everytime, of course.

I liked that one... the first time I saw it. It would have made a fun promo, but it made an awful show opening. It got REALLY old, really quick. Especially if you were a regular B&D viewer who tuned in everyday. It went on for over a minute, but it felt like forever. I would actually flip around through the channels until the B&D opening was over. It got to the point where I could not stand hearing "AND DAFFY AND DAFFY AND DAFFY AND DAFFY..."

On the other hand, I did like the first CN Looney Tunes Show opening. That was the one that showed us a "Blooper Bunny"-esque behind-the-scenes look at the LT cast before the show, while an instrumental of "This is It" played.

Marty26

04-06-2009, 04:40 PM

I liked that one... the first time I saw it. It would have made a fun promo, but it made an awful show opening. It got REALLY old, really quick. Especially if you were a regular B&D viewer who tuned in everyday. It went on for over a minute, but it felt like forever. I would actually flip around through the channels until the B&D opening was over. It got to the point where I could not stand hearing "AND DAFFY AND DAFFY AND DAFFY AND DAFFY..."

I actually thought that "and Daffy, and Daffy, and Daffy, and Daffy..." line was hilarious. I always interpreted it as Daffy, after the "Bugs! Bugs! Bugs! Bugs!" lyric, desperately trying to ensure "Daffy" was said more than "Bugs" during the opening. Which I thought was actually pretty funny. Also notable were his "Ta Da!'s" after finishing his "tricks" (just before they'd backfire on him). Good stuff.

IIRC, it was around May or June of 1997 that CN began using this opening. About a month or two after Turner acquired the post-48 shorts (which is probably why they created this opening in the first place - so that it would match the post-48 package more).

On the other hand, I did like the first CN Looney Tunes Show opening. That was the one that showed us a "Blooper Bunny"-esque behind-the-scenes look at the LT cast before the show, while an instrumental of "This is It" played.

Well, unfortunately, I never saw that one since I didn't get Cartoon Network until it became a Basic Cable channel in 1996 (before then, you had to order it as a Premium Channel - the Disney Channel was also a "Premium Channel" until about 1997). And, by that time, Bugs & Daffy was using that dance-number opening with the "Na-na-na-na-na's" and various clips of pre-48 Looney Tunes character images over a picnic table-ish tiled background. I guess, technically, THAT was the show's "second opening" so I stand corrected in originally thinking it was the first.

Jon Cooke

04-06-2009, 04:59 PM

Well, unfortunately, I never saw that one since I didn't get Cartoon Network until it became a Basic Cable channel in 1996 (before then, you had to order it as a Premium Channel - the Disney Channel was also a "Premium Channel" until about 1997). And, by that time, Bugs & Daffy was using that dance-number opening with the "Na-na-na-na-na's" and various clips of pre-48 Looney Tunes character images over a picnic table-ish tiled background. I guess, technically, THAT was the show's "second opening" so I stand corrected in originally thinking it was the first.

No, you were correct. The "na-na-na-nah" was the first opening to CN's Bugs and Daffy Show and the one you mentioned earlier was the second. The opening I was talking about was for The Looney Tunes Show which CN aired on weekend morning starting around 2001 after they got the TV rights to the entire LT library from WB (pre and post 1948).

Marty26

04-06-2009, 05:06 PM

Marty26

04-06-2009, 06:19 PM

Oh wow,I remember that opening-very catchy indeed.

Yes it was catchy (and I'm sure I'm not the only one who's glad they changed the name from the awful "That's Warner Brothers!" to the more appropriate, albeit cliche, "Bugs 'N Daffy Show"). But WHY, OH WHY, DID THEY HAVE TO TRUNCATE THE CARTOONS' OPENING CREDITS AND GET RID OF THEIR THEME MUSIC??? My guess is that it was to add more time for commercials and those Crazy Career shorts (which were actually pretty cool until you realized that most of the careers being demonstrated were just blue-collar jobs like working in a paint factory).

larriva9/11

04-06-2009, 09:43 PM

But WHY, OH WHY, DID THEY HAVE TO TRUNCATE THE CARTOONS' OPENING CREDITS AND GET RID OF THEIR THEME MUSIC???

Validated through "Three-Ring Wing-Ding"-era BB/RR precedent, I suppose.

Studio Toledo

04-06-2009, 10:38 PM

Well, unfortunately, I never saw that one since I didn't get Cartoon Network until it became a Basic Cable channel in 1996 (before then, you had to order it as a Premium Channel - the Disney Channel was also a "Premium Channel" until about 1997).
Strangely, CN was a basic channel where I lived, but I remember WGN, SciFi and Flix were all specialty channels you had to pay for, for most of the 90's. Disney Channel was a tad different since it was meant to be a subscription channel from the start, CN wasn't, it was more your local cable operator being a d__k about it and charged you for the limited space on their service.

Mike

04-07-2009, 01:47 AM

I liked that one... the first time I saw it. It would have made a fun promo, but it made an awful show opening. It got REALLY old, really quick. Especially if you were a regular B&D viewer who tuned in everyday. It went on for over a minute, but it felt like forever. I would actually flip around through the channels until the B&D opening was over. It got to the point where I could not stand hearing "AND DAFFY AND DAFFY AND DAFFY AND DAFFY..."

I agree wholeheartedly, Jon. It was a fun promo, but should not have been an opening sequence. It went on far too long (opening theme songs can be over a minute if they're actually a *theme song*), and I did the same thing you did: actually watch other things while the opening sequence played itself out.

I remember that, at about the same time CN was using this opening for its Bugs and Daffy shows, it was using an opening sequence for Tom and Jerry that was really quite well done; a catchy theme, and fun, fast-paced gags that really set the tone for what you were about to see. It's amazing how that opening was so good and the Bugs and Daffy one was so....not.

As for the "Looney Tunes Show" opening, while I did like it better than the aforementioned Bugs and Daffy one, it always kinda made me sad; the fact that the instrumental of "This Is It" was being played just reminded me of what was missing: a Saturday morning Looney Tunes show needed a "This Is It" opening, and it's a shame CN couldn't use it.

Mike

P.S. Anyone remember the opening sequence Boomerang all-too-briefly used with its Looney Tunes compilation show? As I recall, it was pretty well-done. I wonder if YouTube has a clip of *that.*

Mr. Semaj

04-07-2009, 02:04 AM

So wait, that Bugs And Daffy Show opening (with the na-na-na-na-na dance) was actually from as early as Spring, 1992 (when CN first began airing)? If that's the case, those are some surprisingly sophisticated graphics for that year. Or did CN have a different Looney Tunes show at the time?

The one with the checkerboard backgrounds, which I like to call the "checkerboard shuffle", was launched in 1995, the same year CN began using checkerboards for all of their bumpers and commercials.

The first one from 1992 featured a dressing room, shared by Bugs and Daffy (but mostly Bugs), where it appeared someone from the camera's POV was taking a lookey-loo. It zooms in on several framed pictures with clips from The Wise-Quacking Duck, The Upstanding Sitter, and Rabbit Punch, before showing a poster reading "Bugs and Daffy Tonight!", which was what the show was initially called.

Marty26

04-07-2009, 10:34 AM

I'm guessing the Checkerboard Shuffle was launched in the Fall of 1995, right?

Here are the two Bugs & Daffy Show Openings:

1995 - 1997 (with a commercial bumper also thrown in): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NiVUvZEvkc

1997 - 2004: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZi5ryC19QI

Also, is that Bugs And Daffy Tonight opening on Youtube or DailyMotion? I searched for it, but couldn't find it. I'd like to see it.

Mr. Semaj

04-07-2009, 11:55 AM

It was on YouTube a long time ago, but has since been removed.

Marty26

04-07-2009, 11:59 AM

By the way, my question about whether or not the Bugs And Daffy show premiered in the Fall of 1995 (with the Checkerboard shuffle) was non-rhetorical. :)

jonmayo15

04-07-2009, 04:16 PM

1995 - 1997 (with a commercial bumper also thrown in): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NiVUvZEvkc

1997 - 2004: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NiVUvZEvkc
Those are the same link.

Marty26

04-07-2009, 06:24 PM

Those are the same link.

Sorry 'bout that. I just fixed the 1997-2004 link. :)

Studio Toledo

04-07-2009, 06:43 PM

Sorry 'bout that. I just fixed the 1997-2004 link. :)
Something about the 97-04 opening I often think about is wanting to see it being alternating a bit with different ways Daffy could try to present himself every time which would be a different conclusion in each (kinda like Donald hitting the gong in the Mickey Mouse Club opening or the couch gags on The Simpsons). Not sure why I would've wanted it, but I kinda like that sort of random quality they could've given us here.

Marty26

04-07-2009, 07:29 PM

The 1990-1993 (or did it first premiere in 1989?) Merrie Melodies opening actually did that. It would show Daffy scorning Bugs (or Porky) and trying to steal the spotlight in a new way for each episode, with his plan backfiring of course. My favorite was probably the one where Daffy painted his profile over Porky's in a scene from An Egg Scramble. And then Porky came in, painted his head over Daffy's in "real life", and Daffy had to jump into the concentric circles with the rest of the Looney Tunes cast with a Porky Pig head!

Unfortunately, in, I think, the Fall of 1993 this opening was replaced with a more contemporary "Bugs wakes up and frantically rushes to the studio" opening. Which was also used (with different theme music) in That's Warner Brothers! before it was, thankfully, renamed The Bugs 'N Daffy Show.

I remember being overjoyed when I saw that, around Easter of 1997, Turner finally got the rights to the post-48 package. I no longer had to rely on Nickelodeon to see post-48 cartoons with their original openings/closings in tact. Which was great because Turner had the rights to every post-48 cartoon in existence (Nick, on the other hand, had to split the package evenly between Kids WB and ABC). I didn't even mind the way Turner sped up the cartoons somewhat to fit in more commercials. At the time, it was still better than having no opening or closing credits at all. :)

Although they really over-sped Dough For The Do-Do. :(

Mike

04-07-2009, 07:49 PM

I remember being overjoyed when I saw that, around Easter of 1997, Turner finally got the rights to the post-48 package. I no longer had to rely on Nickelodeon to see post-48 cartoons with their original openings/closings in tact. Which was great because Turner had the rights to every post-48 cartoon in existence (Nick, on the other hand, had to split the package evenly between Kids WB and ABC). I didn't even mind the way Turner sped up the cartoons somewhat to fit in more commercials. At the time, it was still better than having no opening or closing credits at all.

Oh yeah, that (very) brief period in 1997-98 where TNT included the post-48s in "Bugs Bunny Bugs Bunny Rah! Rah! Rah!" (or was it named "Bugs Bunny's All Stars" at this time? No, I think "Rah! Rah! Rah!") was great. Not so much because of the opening and closing credits, but because of the variety. Perhaps because of the timeslot (weekdays at 6 a.m., EST), it was really an anything-goes sort of collection of shorts. No Censored Eleven, of course, but there were Speedy shorts, the occasional black and white Looney Tune (yes, in original black and white!) and even a few pre-48s that had long since fallen to the PC police, such as "A Feather in his Hare" and "Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt" (the latter with its original title card! As I recall, this was one of the first Blue Ribbons to get its original title card restored). It was a really enjoyable show, and fortunately I still have a couple episodes of it on tape.

IIRC, TNT actually held onto its Looney Tunes package a bit longer than TBS. In the end, of course, both stations lost the cartoons, but I believe TNT hung on until the end of '98. Nick gave up the shorts in '99, and then ABC was the last to surrender, at the close of the '99-00 TV season. Actually (again, IIRC) ABC actually aired Bugs Bunny & Tweety right up until September of 2000, when the new TV season started? It had cut the show down to half an hour for its last season (methinks to soften the blow of its departure), but still....I don't think ABC wanted Bugs to go!

Mike

Matthew Hunter

04-07-2009, 10:14 PM

The one with the checkerboard backgrounds, which I like to call the "checkerboard shuffle", was launched in 1995, the same year CN began using checkerboards for all of their bumpers and commercials.

The first one from 1992 featured a dressing room, shared by Bugs and Daffy (but mostly Bugs), where it appeared someone from the camera's POV was taking a lookey-loo. It zooms in on several framed pictures with clips from The Wise-Quacking Duck, The Upstanding Sitter, and Rabbit Punch, before showing a poster reading "Bugs and Daffy Tonight!", which was what the show was initially called.

That was around the same time I got CN, and for a while I remember seeing both the "Checkerboard" and "Dressing Room" openings. They sort of phased the checker one in gradually I guess. They also used the voice-over talents of standup comic Carrot Top for all of their show bumpers for a couple years, sort of like Toon Disney used Joe Alaskey for a while. Sometimes his little quips were pretty funny. Here's one from Popeye:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_v3FR3jNT-0

Also, I forget the exact story behind it, but the "Checkerboard Shuffle", as you call it, was a snippet of public-domain house/dance music that I suppose the CN programmers thought would make a good show opening (Maybe they had rights issues with "Merrily We Roll Along"?)

But there is something unique about it. The tune samples a bit of Mel Blanc's "taunting" from "The Pied Piper of Guadelupe", ("nyahnyahnyahnyah!"). They wouldn't show that or any other post-48 Warner cartoons for another couple of years, and I doubt anyone at CN at the time even noticed the connection!

Don't believe me? Check out the 50-second mark here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgZShxrcXvk

then the 20-second mark here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgZShxrcXvk

Strange coincidence!:sylvester

Marty26

04-07-2009, 11:54 PM

That was around the same time I got CN, and for a while I remember seeing both the "Checkerboard" and "Dressing Room" openings. They sort of phased the checker one in gradually I guess. They also used the voice-over talents of standup comic Carrot Top for all of their show bumpers for a couple years, sort of like Toon Disney used Joe Alaskey for a while.

I was wondering who was doing those voice overs, actually. He also did the voice overs for several other CN promos. Anyway, by the time I got CN around May/June of 1996, I guess the dressing room opening was already pretty much phased out.

Also, I forget the exact story behind it, but the "Checkerboard Shuffle", as you call it, was a snippet of public-domain house/dance music that I suppose the CN programmers thought would make a good show opening (Maybe they had rights issues with "Merrily We Roll Along"?)

That's interesting. I guess I always assumed it was an original theme song. But I, too, would be interested to know the whole story behind it. I must admit, the song's actually kind of catchy.

Glowworm

04-08-2009, 12:51 AM

I was wondering who was doing those voice overs, actually. He also did the voice overs for several other CN promos. Anyway, by the time I got CN around May/June of 1996, I guess the dressing room opening was already pretty much phased out.

That's interesting. I guess I always assumed it was an original theme song. But I, too, would be interested to know the whole story behind it. I must admit, the song's actually kind of catchy.

I clearly remember an awesome part of that old opening where the announcer would say "Welcome all my friends to the show that never ends,we're so glad you could attend. Come inside,come inside. Later on in life I discovered that line was actually part of a really catchy song.

I always liked one of the more "modern" commercial bumpers for CN's Bugs and Daffy Show where the announcer would go "Bugs,get out of there! That's a boiling pot of soup, not a jacuzzi!":D

Marty26

04-08-2009, 11:06 AM

I clearly remember an awesome part of that old opening where the announcer would say "Welcome all my friends to the show that never ends,we're so glad you could attend. Come inside,come inside. Later on in life I discovered that line was actually part of a really catchy song.

I always liked one of the more "modern" commercial bumpers for CN's Bugs and Daffy Show where the announcer would go "Bugs,get out of there! That's a boiling pot of soup, not a jacuzzi!":D

I remember a couple 1995-1997 bumpers, actually. One had Carrot Top saying something like, "We have to take a short break. It appears Elmer is having some problems with a wabbit (whatever that is...)", another had him saying, "Bugs will return after these messages. And the duck? Well, you never can be too sure with him." There are a couple others I more loosely remember (such as one suggesting that Bugs represented "charm and sophistication"). It's interesting how differently Daffy was represented by CN before and after they obtained the post-48's. Before obtaining them, they represented him as his earlier manic/wacky self of the 30's and 40's. While after obtaining them (ie. when they changed the opening for Bugs And Daffy), they represented him as his more well-known greedy/scheming self of the 50's and early-60's.

larriva9/11

04-08-2009, 09:15 PM

I don't know about "best", but I find something strangely endearing about the original Harlem Globetrotters show opening from 1970
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIBGh1SLN9s
Sure, it's overshadowed by the HGs' subsequent live-action/superhero Saturday morning incarnations; but for workmanlike H-B fare of the day, it's worn surprisingly well--maybe better than more ballyhooed/sentimentalized contemporaries like Josie or Scooby-Doo...

(BTW is it just me, or does anyone else get a weird homoerotic vibe from the animated Globetrotters leaning into the screen and saying "Hey!" and "Oh yeah!"? Must be all those mustaches...)

AnthroCoon

04-09-2009, 03:35 AM

Hey I remember that Globetrotters intro, and a bit of the series!Great title tune...the following Wikipedia page has some more info (people like Jeff Barry and Neil
Sedaka were involved with the music; Stu Gilliam, who was Dingdog in DFE's
Houndcats, did voice work)--you may have to add the close parenthesis
at the end for some odd reason

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harlem_Globetrotters_(TV_series (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harlem_Globetrotters_%28TV_series))

larriva9/11

04-09-2009, 08:13 AM

And the outro

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZ_jPXpgNQk&feature=related

Interesting use of oil-painted stills...

TServo2049

04-12-2009, 01:43 AM

"Where's Huddles?" did the same thing with the oil-painted stills that same year.

Speaking of the annoying 1998 "Bugs and Daffy" intro, how about this nugget of torture for CN watchers/WB cartoon fans circa 2000? I couldn't find the intro on YouTube, so I'll just have to say it: "The Cartoon, Cartoon Cartoon of the Day!" Yes, that annoying, nay, excruciatingly painful Paul Anka-esque song which accompanied the program which robbed us of one of the paltry three WB cartoons CN gave us on Monday-Thursday nights.

I don't really have anything against the Cartoon Cartoons (the stuff in 2000 was mostly better than what they have now, except for the horrid Van Partible-less "Johnny Bravo" episodes and the unspeakably bad "Mike, Lu & Og")...but we only got TWO WB shorts every night (I forget if "Acme Hour" was still on weekdays at this point). And that theme song, oh God, that theme song!!! And to pour lemon juice on that nice big papercut, we also had to sit through the aforementioned "AND DAFFY AND DAFFY AND DAFFY AND DAFFY..." just to get the two cartoons that were left in the half hour...*shudderrrr*

Thankfully, it eventually became just the "Cartoon of the Day" and we had at least a chance of getting a classic toon...but until then...the pain, it won't go away...

cbrubaker

04-12-2009, 02:20 AM

except for the horrid Van Partible-less "Johnny Bravo" episodes and the unspeakably bad "Mike, Lu & Og"
This is just my opinion, but I don't think those "Johnny Bravo" episodes were THAT bad. I liked that they expanded the universe by adding Pops and Carl. Not the best, but it was an interesting change.

As for "Mike, Lu & Og", well...bah. It was short-lived, at least.

(incidentally, the show was created by Chuck Swenson, who did a bunch of industrial films in the seventies, as well as directing the adult feature film "Dirty Duck")

Jack

04-12-2009, 04:04 PM